Choosing the Right Business Telephone System

broken image

A business telephone system usually consists of a single line network, networked to at least five other lines for local and long distance calls. It may contain more than one hundred lines for local or long distance calls. The primary feature of the business telephone system is that it allows multiple calls to come in simultaneously from a variety of sources and provides efficient transmission of data between these sources. It is usually coupled with voice communication software for handling voice commands. A business telephone system can also be coupled with video display terminals, making for convenient use of graphical representation such as a map, chart, or photograph.

The key feature of a typical business telephone system is the ability to handle multiple calls from various sources at the same time. For example, a call handling application can route calls from a computer to a landline number and from a landline number to an answering machine. This allows the business owner to evaluate the effectiveness of their marketing campaign by viewing the results of each call in real time. The main advantages of a business telephone system over a conventional telephone is that it integrates all aspects of the business, ranging from the management of the inventory to periodic reports regarding the health of the business. Some of the features available are:

Integrated Conferencing - Provides many business phone functions, including integrated conferencing with web chat, voice mail, video and audio conferencing. Callers can be given multiple options pertaining to duration of the call, caller id, and speed of transfer. Using a virtual phone system, callers can be identified based on proximity to an operator. This feature eliminates the need for use of existing call handling equipment. Businesses can also set up an automated attendant that answers the phones.

Several Options Are Available for Security Features - Some businesses opt to install additional security measures to protect their clients and customers. Most business phone systems provide a variety of options for securing calls. These include the ability to block calls from numbers that are unqualified or have blocked numbers in the call list. Calls that are answered by automated attendants have the option for blocking callers that are not present or who do not speak a recognized greeting. Additional security features that may be available include: caller ID, call screening, and call waiting.

PABX System- This type of business telephone system allows users to manage their business accounts, incoming calls, outgoing calls, and faxes through one central point. The tax system operates through a private local area network (LAN). The premise-based system includes hardware that consists of a personal computer (PC), a central server, a switching and network appliance, and telephony boards. Several providers offer a variety of solutions including: hosted VoIP, key system, dedicated fax, network and server centres. Some providers offer hosted VoIP through a gateway (a virtual phone line) that allows the customer to connect to an ISA or ISDN number and use the same number for both voice and fax communications.

Internet Protocol (IP) - IP is an increasingly popular method of voice and video communication. An internet protocol phone service offers excellent value with the cost of ownership being considerably less than a traditional telephone company. IP phones allow users to make local, long distance, or international calls without using a telephone handset, traditional phone lines, or the internet. To make use of this service, an IP computer system must be hooked up to a broadband internet connection. Discover more about telephony here:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephony.